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Primary 3 Science Materials Quiz
Free P3 Science Materials quiz, Ox Exam version, with questions, answers, and syllabus-aligned practice for Singapore students.
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Answers
Primary 3 Science Quiz - Materials: Answer Key
Total Marks: 40 | Marking notes are given for teachers, parents and students.
Answer 1.
Answer: (b) rubber band (1 mark)
Teaching note: A material is flexible if it can bend without breaking. A rubber band stretches and bends easily and returns to its shape. A ceramic tile, glass pane and stone slab are hard and stiff — they break instead of bending. Common mistake: thinking "flexible" means soft; flexibility is about bending, not softness.
Answer 2.
Answer: (c) clear plastic sheet (1 mark)
Teaching note: Match two properties to the purpose. The window must let light pass through, so it cannot be cardboard or wood (no light passes through) or thick wool (only some light passes). It must also keep rain out, so it must be waterproof. Clear plastic does both. Cardboard and wood fail on light; wool fails on keeping rain out.
Answer 3.
Answer: (b) glass, plastic, nylon (1 mark)
Teaching note: Natural materials come from plants, animals or the ground (wood, cotton, wool, leather, silk, rubber from trees). Man-made materials are made by people in factories (glass, plastic, nylon). Common mistakes: thinking glass is natural because it comes from sand — people must process sand in a factory, so glass is man-made.
Answer 4.
Answer: (d) wooden block (1 mark)
Teaching note: Whether something floats or sinks depends on the material. Wood floats on water. Metal, glass and stone are heavier for their size than water, so they sink. This is why boats can be made with floating materials like wood, or shaped carefully so they stay up.
Answer 5.
Answer: (d) metal (1 mark)
Teaching note: Strength is the ability to hold a heavy load without breaking. Compare the breaking loads: metal 20 kg > wood 10 kg > plastic 5 kg > glass 2 kg. The largest load means the strongest material. Method: always compare the numbers in the data before choosing.
Answer 6.
Completed table (2 marks — ½ mark per correct tick; award 2 marks if all four rows are correct):
| Material | Absorbs water | Waterproof |
|---|---|---|
| paper towel | ✓ | |
| plastic sheet | ✓ | |
| cotton cloth | ✓ | |
| rubber glove | ✓ |
Teaching note: Absorbs water means the material soaks water up (paper towel, cotton cloth). Waterproof means water cannot pass through it (plastic, rubber). Test idea: drop the same number of drops of water on each material and see which soaks in.
Answer
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Primary 3 Science Quiz - Materials: Answer Key
Total Marks: 40 | Marking notes are given for teachers, parents and students.
Answer 1.
Answer: (b) rubber band (1 mark)
Teaching note: A material is flexible if it can bend without breaking. A rubber band bends and stretches easily. A ceramic tile, glass pane and stone slab are hard and stiff — they break instead of bending.
Answer 2.
Answer: (c) clear plastic sheet (1 mark)
Teaching note: Match two properties: the window must let sunlight pass through and keep rain out (waterproof). Clear plastic does both. Cardboard and wood block light; wool lets only some light through and absorbs water.
Answer 3.
Answer: (b) glass, plastic, nylon (1 mark)
Teaching note: Natural materials come from plants, animals or the ground. Man-made materials are made by people in factories. Common mistake: thinking glass is natural because it comes from sand — people must process sand in a factory, so glass is man-made.
Answer 4.
Answer: (d) wooden block (1 mark)
Teaching note: Wood floats on water. Metal, glass and stone are heavier than water for their size, so they sink.
Answer 5.
Answer: (d) metal (1 mark)
Teaching note: Strength means holding a heavy load without breaking. Compare breaking loads: metal 20 kg > wood 10 kg > plastic 5 kg > glass 2 kg. The largest load = strongest material.
Answer 6.
Completed table (2 marks):
| Material | Absorbs water | Waterproof |
|---|---|---|
| paper towel | ✓ | |
| plastic sheet | ✓ | |
| cotton cloth | ✓ | |
| rubber glove | ✓ |
Teaching note: Absorbs water = soaks water up. Waterproof = water cannot pass through.
Answer 7.
Completed table (2 marks):
| Property | Material(s) |
|---|---|
| Lets all light pass through | clear glass |
| Lets some light pass through | frosted glass |
| Does not let any light pass through | cardboard |
Teaching note: Clear materials let all light through; frosted materials let only some light through; opaque materials like cardboard block all light.
Answer 8.
Completed table (2 marks — ½ mark per correct tick):
| Statement | True | False |
|---|---|---|
| All strong materials are heavy. | ✓ | |
| Rubber can bend many times without breaking. | ✓ | |
| Glass absorbs water quickly. | ✓ | |
| Plastic is a man-made material. | ✓ |
Teaching note: Strong materials need not be heavy — thin metal wire is strong but light. Glass is waterproof, not absorbent.
Answer 9.
Completed table (2 marks — ½ mark per correct letter):
| Material | Letter |
|---|---|
| rubber | D |
| glass | A |
| fabric | C |
| ceramic | B |
Teaching note: Match each material to the property stated in the use: rubber grips and flexes (tyres), glass lets light through (windows), fabric is soft and flexible (T-shirts), ceramic is hard and waterproof (bowls).
Answer 10.
Model answer (2 marks):
Paper absorbs water, so the water soaked through the paper cup and dripped out. Plastic is waterproof, so water could not pass through Cup B and it stayed dry. (Award 1 mark for identifying absorption in paper, 1 mark for waterproof plastic.)
Answer 11.
(a) Any two of: same length, width and thickness of strips; same 200 g mass hung on each; strips clamped the same way on the same table edge. (1 mark)
(b) The plastic strip — it bent the most (7 cm). (1 mark)
(c) Most flexible to least flexible: plastic → wood → metal. (1 mark)
Teaching note: The more a strip bends under the same load, the more flexible it is. Fair tests keep everything the same except the material being tested.
Answer 12.
Completed table (2 marks):
| Natural materials | Man-made materials |
|---|---|
| wool | glass |
| cotton | plastic |
| rubber (from rubber trees) | nylon |
Teaching note: Wool, cotton and tree rubber come from plants and animals. Glass, plastic and nylon are made in factories.
Answer 13.
Model answer (2 marks):
Material: plastic
Reason: Plastic is waterproof, so it will not soak up water and go soft or sink like cardboard would. It also floats and is light, so the boat can carry coins on the water. (Award 1 mark for choosing plastic, 1 mark for a property-based reason.)
Answer 14.
(a) The metal bar — it held the greatest load (20 weights) before snapping. (1 mark)
(b) 1 weight × 100 g = 100 g. The glass bar held 100 g before snapping. (1 mark)
(c) Metal — it is the strongest, holding 20 × 100 g = 2000 g, so it can support many heavy books. (1 mark)
Answer 15.
Model answer (2 marks):
Metal lets heat pass through easily (it conducts heat). If the handle were metal, heat from the pot would travel up the handle and burn the person's hand. Plastic and wood do not conduct heat well, so the handle stays cool enough to hold safely.
Answer 16.
Model answer (3 marks):
Bag: plastic bag
Reason 1: Plastic is waterproof, so water from the wet swimsuit cannot leak out of the bag onto other things.
Reason 2: Plastic does not absorb water, unlike canvas fabric which would soak up the water, become wet and heavy, and let water seep through. (Award 1 mark for choosing the plastic bag and 1 mark per correct property-based reason.)
Answer 17.
(a) Ali used a thick wooden strip and a thin plastic strip. The strips were not the same size, so the test was unfair — thickness affects strength. (1 mark)
(b) Ali should use a wooden strip and a plastic strip of the same length, width and thickness, then hang weights on each until they break. Only the material should be different. (2 marks)
Teaching note: In a fair test, change only one thing (the material); keep everything else the same.
Answer 18.
(a) Paper towel — it absorbed the most water (12 mL). (1 mark)
(b) Plastic sheet and aluminium foil — both absorbed 0 mL. (1 mark)
(c) Paper towel, because it absorbed the most water (12 mL), so it soaks up spilled milk best. (1 mark)
Answer 19.
Circled answer: wood
Explanation: Clear glass, clear plastic and frosted glass all let light pass through (clear ones fully, frosted ones partly). Wood is opaque — it does not let any light pass through — so it does not belong with the others. (2 marks: 1 for circling wood, 1 for explanation)
Answer 20.
Model answer (2 marks):
Metal is stronger and more durable than wood. It can stay outside in sunshine and rain for a long time without rotting, cracking or wearing away, while wood left outdoors can rot or get damaged by rain over time. (Accept any reason based on metal's properties, e.g. stronger, lasts longer outdoors.)
END OF ANSWER KEY